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Tuesday, 29 April 2008

Who says bicycles are for outdoor use only. Brighten up your home with a few Vintage bicycle posters. There are some truly beautiful designs and they start from as little as £.6.99. A few of my favourites...All of the above and many more are available from Art.comBuy Vintage Bicycle Ads posters and prints at Art.com

Friday, 25 April 2008

‘Sick’ in Shoreditch sells a smorgasbord of French-Vintage paraphernalia from ball-gowns to bicycles. As with a lot of things when the French do cycling they like to do it in Style therefore there are a lot of beautiful bikes made in France. The eclectic mix of second hand bikes they sell range from £70-£200 they also sell frames, prices starting from £30.The bicycles not only have a stylish edge but are good reliable city bikes and many of them come with rather splendid retro panniers. The only slight downfall of buying a French bike is that it may be a little difficult to get spare parts but this brings me to West London’s Alternative Bike shop; Notting Hill’s Bicycle workshop….As a lover of vintage/second hand bikes I fully applaud this bike shop on the bohemian All Saints road in West London.The owner of bicycle workshop, Nino is not interested in selling you a shiny new Hybrid with zillions of gears but instead would rather help you do up an old bike and join the vintage bicycle brigade. They are experts on older bikes and have a wide range of parts so they can get almost any bike back on the road. You can take your bike down to the very popular Saturday morning open workshop although you may need to get there early as the workshop can get very busy in spring and summer Another service they offer is to help you find a good vintage bike on eBay. Once you've bought it, you can bring it in and they will do any repairs necessary to get you on the road. This is such a great idea as there are so many wonderful, stylish ladies bike from the 70/s and 80's that are just rusting way in people garages crying out to have a bonny lass back aboard.I have a friend who recently combined the services of both shops. She bought a beautiful white Peugeot from Sick, was struggling to get replacement inner tubes so took her bike to the bicycle workshop where she was fitted the right tubes and was merrily on her way.Check out their website for further details The Bicycle workshop

Sunday, 13 April 2008

Tapered trousers are very en vogue this year and are the perfect trouser for spring cycling. I especially like the jodhpur style like this wonderful Stella McCartney pair from Net a PorterOr for a slightly more affordable option these back cotton Jodhpurs from Urban Outfitters for £45..or these very comfy looking jogger style Hari Balloon pants from Browns

Saturday, 5 April 2008

My new favourite cycling accessory is this kitsch kitchen cycle bag solo. It attaches the side of your back rack and then unclips to be a wonderfully summery shopping bag and comes in the 4 fabulous colours below.These bags are very popular in Holland but don't seem made it to the UK yet... but do not panic they will soon be available to buy from the forthcoming CYCLECHIC ONLINE SHOP. If you are interested in the lovely cycle bag solo or would like more details on the Cyclechic shop please email me caz@cyclechic.co.uk

Friday, 4 April 2008

A lock is one of the of the first bike accessories you will need to buy, not the most exiting by any means but very neccessary

A few tips on locks and locking

• 'D' locks are said to be the most secure but they can be quite heavy and cumbersome so make sure you get one with a bracket so it can be attached to your frame when you are cycling like the Abus Sinero. Or a smaller one like the Kriptonite MiniTo check the security of a lock before buying go not for profit website sold secure.

• Try and lock your bike to specific bike parking stands where possble but it is sometime neccessary to improvise with Lamposts and railings etc. This is fine but always try and lock your frame and at least one wheel to the stand or post.

• Although you are fully entitled to stay out all night dont leave your poor little bike out on the streets to fend for itself. Always try and get your bike home or to secure parking overnight. Very few bicycles are stolen from outside houses but if left on the street the risk of theft is much higher.

• If your place of work doesn't supply any secure bike parking suggest the ‘Take a Stand’ scheme where your employer can apply for cycle parking for up to 40 bicycles. Contact TfL on 020 722 1234 or the LCC office on 020 7234 9310 for more information. To gently put the pressure on take your bicycle in the office with you until the parking is provided.

• When parking your bike on the street go for busy areas as oppose to quieter roads or alley ways, it will be less easy for thieves to steal your bike if there's lot's of people around.

• The more money you spend on your bike the more you should spend on your lock